Historic path to glory: OFC nations set for first ever guaranteed FIFA World Cup spot in 2026

The Oceania Preliminary Qualifying draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ has taken place at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland. In an unprecedented development for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), the region has been guaranteed a qualifying spot in the World Cup, with a further place available via the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament. This marks a historic opportunity for OFC nations, ensuring that the winner of the qualifiers will directly participate in the World Cup without the need for any intercontinental playoffs.

The draw, conducted by France’s FIFA World Cup 1998 winner and FIFA Legend Christian Karembeu, who hails from New Caledonia, along with Dame Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, took place at the Home of FIFA in Zurich.

The road to Canada, Mexico, and the United States will commence for four Oceania nations with the first and second match days set to be held in Samoa in September. OFC’s 11 full member nations now have a clear path that could lead to one of them being among the 48 teams at the most inclusive FIFA World Cup™ ever.

Based on the men’s FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking™ of July 2024, the four lowest-ranked teams – Samoa, Cook Islands, American Samoa, and Tonga – will compete in round one’s knockout-match format in Apia, Samoa, to decide which of the quartet will join the seven highest-ranked sides in the second round.

In this initial round, the 8th ranked Cook Islands will face the 11th ranked Tonga, while the 9th ranked American Samoa will play the 10th ranked Samoa. The winners of these matches will meet three days later to determine which team progresses to the group stage for match days three, four, and five.

New Zealand, the only OFC nation to have previously represented the region at the FIFA World Cup™ in 1982 and 2010, has been drawn in Group B alongside Tahiti, Vanuatu, and the winner of round one. The Solomon Islands, the top-ranked team in Group A, will play against Fiji, New Caledonia, and Papua New Guinea.

Each country will play every opponent in their group once in matches staged in October and November. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-final ties in March 2025. The winners of Group A will face the runners-up of Group B, and the winners of Group B will play the runners-up of Group A. The victors of these matches will then go head-to-head for the first-ever guaranteed ticket to the FIFA World Cup™ for an OFC nation.

Moreover, the runner-up in the final contest will advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament, offering Oceania a historic chance to have a second representative at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States in 2026.

The host venues for match days three, four, five, six, and seven, along with the match schedule, will be announced in due course.

This groundbreaking development ensures that the OFC winner will secure a spot in the most prestigious football tournament without facing intercontinental playoffs. Additionally, the runners-up will also have a chance to qualify through the intercontinental playoffs, marking a significant milestone for Oceania football.